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MPACT ENews

January 16, 2013

Greetings!


Did you miss an issue of the MPACT ENews? Delete it by mistake? Wish you could find a past article? Well you can! To view current and past issues of the MPACT ENews visit our website at http://ptimpact.org/News.aspx

Online Trainings offered through MPACT

MPACT has just added another online training to our resources, Extended School Year is now available along with: 
  • Special Education: What I Need to Know
  • IDEA Transition Requirements
  • Transition to Post Secondary Experiences (Part 1 & 2)
  • Connecting Goals to Coordinated Activities and Services for Transition
  • Transition Resources - Disability Disclosure
  • Soft Skills

You can access them by going to our Training page and clicking on Online Training, oCLICK HERE .

In This Issue
MPACT Online Trainings
Give the Gift of Knowledge
Parent Mentor Program
Wrightslaw Conference
Early Literacy Standards
Regional Braille Challenge
TheSource Website
Upcoming Trainings
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links
Surveys- Let us know how we're doing.
Contact Us!

 Give the Gift of Knowledge - Donate to MPACT

MPACT welcomes donations in any amount and will acknowledge all donors in our Annual Report and on our MPACT Facebook page. Agency, organization and business donors making a contribution of $200.00 or more will be recognized by placing their name and logo in our monthly e-news letter and on our website's donation page. Individual donations of $50.00 or more will be added to our Friends of MPACT list which will appear in an edition of our monthly e-news letter and on our website. Donations may be made by credit card through PayPal on our website - http://ptimpact.org/Store/Donations/Donations.aspx; or by sending a check to the state office: MPACT, 8301 State Line Rd., Ste. 204, Kansas City MO, 64114. Every donation will receive a receipt for tax purposes.

 

Please help us to continue to provide the support that families of Missouri's children with disabilities are requesting by making a donation to MPACT. MPACT is a 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.   

 

2012 MPACT Donation Letter

 MPACT Parent Mentor Program

MPACT Parent Mentors are available to offer support and guidance to parents of children with disabilities throughout the IEP process.  Parent Mentors are volunteers who receive 24 hours of initial training, ongoing monthly training, and technical assistance from MPACT staff with regard to special education law, the IEP process, conflict resolution, and effective communication.  Their goal is to help parents build a collaborative partnership with the school district so their child may receive an appropriate education.  To view the list of current MPACT Parent Mentors, go to http://ptimpact.org/Volunteer/MentorList.aspx.

 

If your school district has had a MPACT Parent Mentor in attendance at an IEP meeting, please take a moment to complete a brief online survey located at http://ptimpact.org/Surveys.aspx if you have not already done so.  A separate survey should be completed for each mentor who has provided services to parents in your district.  These surveys assist MPACT and DESE with identifying and addressing areas of success and improvement with the Parent Mentor Program.

For more information about MPACT or if you have questions regarding the status of a Parent Mentor, please contact MPACT by telephone at (800) 743-7634 or by e-mail at [email protected].    You can also view the MPACT website at http://www.ptimpact.org.

Wrightslaw - Special Education Law Training 

 

MPACT presents Wrightslaw Special Education Law Training featuring Pete Wright. 

Tuesday, May 14th - 9:00am - 4:30pm

University of Missouri - St. Louis

 

Some of the topics to be covered include: 

  • IDEA
  • Understanding Tests and Measurements
  • Evaluations and IEPS
  • No Child Left Behind
  • Tactics and Strategies
For more information CLICK HERE.  Be sure to register before March 30th to receive the Early Bird Discount!
Missouri Early Learning Standards


The Department has been engaged in a process of revising the Missouri Early Learning Standards (MELS).  This includes revisions to the existing standards for children ages 3 to kindergarten entry and expanding those standards for children birth to age three.  Along with this significant revision, we are also considering the alignment to the Core Academic Standards.

At this time, the Department is requesting comments on these revisions.  The draft revised standards are located at http://dese.mo.gov/se/se-ls01.15.13-3(New).htm.  All comments should be sent to[email protected] for consideration as we move forward with this important work.  These comments must be received no later than February 28, 2013.  

 

  

Regional Braille Challenge

 

Braille Challenge, sponsored by the Braille Institute, is an academic contest for Braille readers.  The student will demonstrate their grade-level Braille skills in the areas of spelling, reading comprehension, proofreading, speed and accuracy, as well as charts and graphs.  This is a contest, not a test.  It is meant to be enjoyed and serve as a reward for students who have worked hard to improve their Braille skills.

Each participant must provide their own Perkins Brailler (this year ANY manual brailler is allowed-Next Generation, Light Touch, or Classic Perkins).  Students participating in the Speed and Accuracy challenge (Varsity, Junior Varsity, or Sophomore levels) must have a Victor Stream or Book Port Plus with ear buds or headphones.  Students may visit The Braille Challenge website at http://www.braillechallenge.org/ to review contest descriptions and download practice contests.

Two regional competitions will be held in Missouri in the next few months.  Students may attend only one regional challenge.

Missouri School for the Blind (MSB), 3815 Magnolia, St. Louis, is hosting a Regional Braille Challenge on February 21, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Information about Braille Challenge is posted on the MSB website at http://msb.dese.mo.gov/ including a downloadable permission form.  Students wishing to participate must have a parent or guardian complete the permission form and mail or fax it to MSB no later than January 28, 2013.  MSB's mailing address and fax number are on the permission form.  St. Louis Lighthouse for the Blind is sponsoring this event with donated prizes and shirts.  If you have any questions about the St. Louis Regional contest, feel free to contact The Braille Challenge Coordinator, Chris Klevorn at 314-776-4320 ext. 2330 or [email protected].

Missouri State University, Springfield is hosting a Regional Braille Challenge on March 2, 2013, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  The challenge will be held on campus in Karls Hall, 905 South National Avenue, Springfield, MO.  Students wishing to participate must have a parent or guardian complete the permission form which can be obtained by contacting Julie Anderson at [email protected].  Permission forms are due by January 18, 2013.  The South West MO Vision Professionals Group and South West MO Blindness Skills Specialist Project are sponsoring this challenge.  If you have any questions about the Springfield Regional contest, feel free to contact Julie Anderson at [email protected]. 

 

The MORe Website has relaunched as "TheSource"

  

The Office of Special Education's MORe (Missouri Resources) website has recently undergone a renovation and is being relaunched as TheSource.  TheSource is intended to provide useful, relevant, and quality resources for educators, parents, and other interested parties.  The website houses the latest information on the special education outcome indicators in the State Performance Plan (SPP) specified by the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and is designed to provide assistance to results teams who are seeking information to improve outcome data for students with disabilities.  The site is free and open to anyone interested in the latest research-based or evidence-based effective instructional practices.

To access TheSource go to: http://thesource.northcentralrrc.org/.  We would appreciate you providing feedback to us on the content using the website survey, page rankings, and article rankings.  

  

 

Free MPACT Trainings
MPACT trainings are provided    free of charge to parents of children with disabilities. To sign up for an upcoming training, follow the links below, then click on the 'SIGNUP' button located next to the training name. Fill in your name, email address, phone number, the name of the training you wish to attend and the date it is being offered.

 

While registering for a training is not mandatory it does ensure that the trainer has an adequate amount of handouts. This also allows MPACT to contact you should a training need to be cancelled or rescheduled. To view a comprehensive list of all trainings provided by MPACT go to http://ptimpact.org/Training/Training.aspx

 

Please be sure to double check the website training pages for any updates or changes to trainings offered.

 

Steps to Success Series: 

 

Family Record Keeping

 

IDEA Part C to B (First Steps to Early Childhood)

 

IDEA Boot Camp (Understanding the IEP Process, Special Education Law, and Disagreement Resolution)
 
Understanding the IEP Process  
The Art of Effective Advocacy

 

Special Education Law

02/09/13   Columbia

04/29/13   St. Louis 

 

How to Write Measurable Annual Goals

02/16/13   Union

02/25/13   St. Louis

05/06/13   St. Louis

 

Writing Post Secondary Goals for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

01/28/13   St. Louis

 

How to Write Measurable Annual Goals

02/16/13   Union

02/25/13   St. Louis

 

Positive Behavior Interventions  

03/16/13   Union

Understanding ADHD
 
Be Determined
 
Student-Led IEPs - NEW

Parents Facilitate, Youth Take Action

Journey to Adulthood
 

  

 

Question? Comments? Suggestions? Send them to [email protected] or 

contact the MPACT State Office at 1-800-743-7634.